Secrets of the Crown
by Kowareta1468
Summary: Prince Haruno wakes every morning to bind his breasts and face the world while his life is turned upside down. He is hounded by his latest female suitor, tempted by the men around him, and doesn't have a clue how to be a woman. As he goes undercover as a lady-in-waiting, he will discover more than womanhood. There's a plot against the Kingdom, and he can trust no one.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my project for July 2019's NaNoWriMo, my first time participating! I'll most likely publish updates every Friday, since my other current story (_Coffee, Books, and Secrets_) is generally updated on Mondays. If you love AU KakaSaku stories, please go check that one out! **

**Summary: ** Prince Haruno wakes every morning to bind his breasts and face the world while his life is turned upside down. He is hounded by his latest female suitor, tempted by the men around him, and doesn't have a clue how to be a woman. As he goes undercover as a lady-in-waiting, he will discover more than womanhood. There's a plot against the Kingdom, and he can trust no one.

**Pairings: **I plan to have the final pairing be SaiSaku and have KakaSaku for the other side of the love triangle, but I will see what everyone wants! Let me know as the story goes who your pick will be :)

**Feedback/Reviews**: I appreciate any and all reviews. I always love feedback, as it makes me a better writer. This story in particular, though, I want your feedback if you have some! If it goes well, I plan to adapt this into my first novel. Let me know if you ever love or hate something, want to discuss anything, or just let me know you're still with me!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or it's characters, only the story idea. Many characters are OOC and out-of-place compared to the anime.

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**Chapter 1**

A woman looked at me in the full-body mirror. Pink hair fell to her shoulders, framing the face filled with bright green eyes and soft cheeks. Her jaw was strong yet delicate, begging the eyes to trail from her ears to her chin. Her clavicle rested atop the sea of skin with a ripple of her breasts on the horizon.

The woman began to disappear. Her hair was swept onto her head, smothered by a wig of short brown hair. Trace amounts of dirt were smeared over her face, toughening her jaw. Her clavicle lost its luster as her chest was bound by layers of cloth and encased in a linen shirt.

I stared at my dull green eyes.

"Prince Haruno, King Danzo requests your presence," I heard from the other side of the door to my chambers.

"Thank you, Naruto."

I pulled on cotton shorts, stuffing a sock inside the front as my father taught me as a young child. I tucked in my linen shirt and tugged on my leather pants just as my door opened and my two knights stepped inside.

"Your Highness, we must leave at once to see your father," Sasuke said sternly. He was the stiffer of my two knights, always trying to be punctual and follow rules.

"We don't intend to rush you, Your Highness," Naruto added. I could always count on him to have the personality _and _the heart.

I had my waistcoat slipped-on and buttoned in seconds, but took my time strapping my boots to my feet. I could guess the topic of the day's meeting, _me_, and I was in no rush. My father and his privy council could wait a minute longer.

Knights weren't allowed to walk ahead of Royalty, so Sasuke breathing down my neck as we walked was as close as he could get to shoving me. Naruto stayed back a few paces, which I appreciated. If we were late to the meeting, my father would scold my knights. I didn't need Sasuke making me feel any more guilty about that fact.

I concentrated on my feet rather than the servants and guests bowing around me as we walked. I had to slam my feet onto the floor, making it sound as if I weighed more than I did. A Prince was to be a dominating force, my father once said, and walking lightly wouldn't do the job.

I nodded to the guards posted at the Council Room doors. They opened both doors, allowing me to sweep inside with the dominating force I hoped my stomping created. I went to the raised platform where my father sat on his throne. Sasuke and Naruto stayed by the door, which was the appropriate place for knights during council meetings.

The Privy Council members had stood at my entrance, and I waved for them to sit. My father grunted, and I couldn't tell if he was expressing disappointment for my delayed arrival or approval for dismissing his council without speaking, the kind of flippant attitude he holds towards his subjects.

A chair scratched against the floor, and I turned to see Duke Jiraiya standing. His bowed his head slightly before speaking. "Prince Haruno, this Council meeting has been called to discuss your upcoming birthday." He sat again when my father started speaking.

"The Dukes are concerned," King Danzo said. He had an amused glint in his eyes, and I knew I wouldn't like what was going to be discussed, just as predicted. "You have yet to show interest in a single suitor, and they worry you will be crowned King without a Queen at your side when I die."

The room buzzed with conversation as the Privy Council began to discuss my father's words. Would he die soon? Am I not ready to lead on my own? Why haven't I picked an heir? My head started to spin.

Duke Jiraiya didn't understand the rush for me to marry, while Duke Hiruzen pointed out the urgency for heirs. Duke Minato nodded along, which didn't surprise me. He had so many sons he didn't need to worry about his legacy; he could even afford his youngest, Naruto, becoming a Prince's knight — a station much lower than what he was born into — out of desire alone. .

"We will continue to welcome suitors," my father's voice rang in the room, silencing all conversations. "We have six months until Prince Haruno is crowned Heir. If not married or even engaged, he will be expressing exclusive interest in at least one suitor. Will that satisfy you all?"

I heard a chorus of "yes, Your Majesty" and "wonderful idea, Your Majesty."

Duke Asuma began a conversation about trade routes, and I stopped paying attention. I knew I'd eventually have to wake up and worry about trade routes and food supplies, but it all seemed so far away. I still woke every morning to worry if a maid threw away my bindings in the night, thinking they were scraps, or if I'd be surprised with my monthly bleeding before I had stolen bits of cotton.

The meeting ending, and I quickly excused myself. I declined Naruto's invitation to escort me to the dining hall for breakfast. Once we reached my chambers, I instructed Naruto and Sasuke to remain outside my door; I would summon them if I needed anything, I said. They agreed without question, as they were trained to do.

The Prince's chambers were connected to the Princess's, which would remain unoccupied until I found a wife. They would soon make my room feel like a prison, but for now they would help me gain my first taste of freedom. I slipped through the door connecting our chambers, careful to shut the door quietly lest Sasuke and Naruto hear it from outside the Prince's chambers.

The Princess's chambers were exactly like mine: a main living area, double doors leading to a balcony, and a bathing room to the side. This room was stripped completely bare, unlike mine which was lavishly decorated with foreign rugs and drapes.

I walked to the bed and saw the dress I laid-out weeks ago. I had stolen it on impulse. The tailoring room was left unoccupied during a rare moment I was alone, and I snuck inside to steal a dress without thinking. I had no idea what to do with it until two nights ago.

I slowly undressed. My fingers trembled as I unbuttoned my waistcoat. My linen shirt stuck to my arms in spots I was beginning to sweat as I slipped it off. Taking off my leather pants was even worse. Finally I was stripped to my cotton shorts and bindings, the last bits of clothing covering what made me a woman.

When I had stolen the dress, it was folded into a bundle and tied with ribbon. Now I saw it in three pieces: a skirt, a linen shirt, and a corset. I picked up the linen shirt first, it being the only article I knew how to put on.

The shirt was lighter than the men's shirts made for me. When I pulled it on, the sleeves were tight and were barely long enough to cover my elbows. The buttons were smaller, too, so I struggled to fasten them. The chest of the shirt hung on my frame, and I realized I needed to release my bindings to fill the shirt.

Bindings off and shirt back on, I tried the skirt. I twisted it a few times before finding which part of the skirt went in the front. I sat on the bed and stuffed my legs through the top hole, struggling to get my feet through the layers and to the other side. I managed to secure the skirt around my waistline.

The corset was the most intimidating. I'd heard women complaining about how complicated corsets were to lace. Higher-born women even had servants to help them. I was in over my head, but I knew I had to try. I practiced three times on the bed before slipping the corset onto my chest. I didn't know how many minutes passed before it was finally laced.

Two nights ago I knew what I wanted to do with the dress. It would be dangerous. I embraced that.

I took off my wig, wiped the dirt from my face with the linen shirt I was wearing when I was still Prince Haruno. My heart rate sped up at the realization that I was no longer Prince Haruno. I could and _would_ walk outside the Princess's chambers, a stranger to the castle and to myself.

The Prince's and Princess's chambers were conveniently placed at a corner. My personal chambers would lead to the hallway my knights were positioned at, but the Princess's chambers would lead to a hallway perpendicular, where my knights couldn't see.

I stepped into the hallway and waited for knights to tackle me, demand I take off the dress and go back to being Prince Haruno. But no one came, and by the sounds of their bantering, Sasuke and Naruto hadn't even heard any doors opening and closing.

I decided to go to the servant's wing. My simple dress would have stood out among the wealthy guests wandering the halls near my chambers, and I didn't need anyone looking too closely at me. Thankfully no one did. I was a nobody as I walked, someone not worth giving a second glance to.

It was exhilarating.

I was so invisible that as I rounded a corner near the kitchens, a man smacked into my chest, knocking me to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the love last chapter! It sounds like everyone hopes for KakaSaku, but I wouldn't count out Sai just yet. ;)**

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**Chapter 2**

I gasped when I hit the floor. My butt ached from hitting the cold stone and so did my breasts from hitting his hard chest. I was beginning to wonder about the use of them. So far they seemed oddly inconvenient.

Once my shock wore off, I clenched my fists. "How _dare_ you—"

"Sorry, Miss," he interrupted me.

I finally looked up. The man before me had a lopsided grin on his face, his hand outstretched to help me up. I didn't take it, as if his skin would poison mine.

Up you go." He grabbed my forearms and pulled me up as if I weighed nothing. "There, all better?"

I had never been treated like this in my life. This man clearly had no idea who I was. He didn't know he just knocked the Prince over, interrupted him, spoke flippantly towards him, then _grabbed_ him. The thought was both terrifying and thrilling. I really was a nobody now, just a regular person.

He must be a kitchen worker. He wore a brown linen shirt tucked into brown trousers and a pair of boots that looked older than I was. His mop of silver hair was pulled out of his eyes with a ribbon, and he had a smear of white powder across his face.

He must have known I was looking at the powder. "Just flour," he told me. "I finished a cake for the Council Members' lunch, but, well, you see." He motioned to the cake that was splattered on the floor next to us.

"You make lunch for the Council?" I asked him. He nodded, and I realized I had seen him before. I didn't make the connection before — I saw many servants throughout the day — but I did remember his messy hair and large build. Most of the servants were women, and those who were men were the small ones that weren't able to become guards or Knights. He didn't fit either categories and easily stood-out.

"I need to make another cake. Where's your post?" he said.

My mouth opened but no words came out. I didn't know what to say. _I'm actually the Prince. You don't recognize me because I didn't dress like a man today. _He would think I'm insane. I couldn't say I was a servant, either, because if he tested me I would present no practical skills. My clothes weren't fancy enough to be a Lady…but I could work under one.

"I'm a lady-in-waiting," I said. "My Lady has yet to arrive at Court. I have nowhere to be."

He grinned and grabbed my wrist, guiding me back towards the kitchens where he had come from. My skin burned where he touched me. "You can help me with my cake," he said, "since you ruined it."

"Excuse you, I did no such—"

"Kakashi," he interrupted me again. "You are?"

I started to panic. I looked around the hallway wildly, as if I would find a feminine name written on the walls. But the walls were empty, and there were only a few tables placed every few yards with decorations on them. One table had a vase with cherry blossom branches. They reminded me of the beautiful cherry trees in the gardens and how they were in bloom now, covering the landscape in a sheet of pink and white.

"Sakura," I said. "My name's Sakura."

I was very proud of my new name, but Kakashi didn't seem to care. We had reached the kitchen, and he threw open the door. He gave the door a push so it stayed open long enough for us to walk through. It almost counted as holding the door open for me.

The kitchen was a bustle of activity. Servants were zipping around, cooking, cleaning, or taking dishes in and out of the kitchen. There were no ovens in this kitchen, just stoves with pots boiling. The large counter in the center was covered with vegetables and fruits.

"We call this the Prep Kitchen," Kakashi said. "To the left there is the Heavy Kitchen — that's where we cook anything needing an oven — and to the right is the Pantry. We're going to the Bakery Kitchen. That's where we bake anything but bread, which is in the kitchen beside it."

I nodded along, only half listening. I was so amazed by the kitchens and how many servants were working. A lot more work was put into my meals than I thought.

There were two other servants in the Bakery Kitchen. One was a man with dark hair cut in a straight line around his head and the other was a woman with bright red hair. Both lit-up when they saw Kakashi. "Back already, my friend? the man asked.

"Lost the cake along the way," Kakashi said, pointing his thumb back at me. "This is Sakura."

Smoke started coming from an oven, and the two servants shouted and ran over to it. They were laughing as they tried getting the burnt cake out as soon as possible. I didn't know how they could laugh about a ruined cake.

"Karin's new," Kakashi said, laughing along. "Gai is helping her make practice cakes. Let's get our own cake going, shall we?"

Kakashi had acted like he needed my help, but it was obvious he didn't. He started pulling ingredients from the large bowls around him, throwing them into a small bowl in front of him. He would grab a handful of flour here, a handful of brown powder there. He even broke an egg over the bowl, and I scrunched my nose at the gross liquid that seeped out. My eggs certainly didn't look gooey when I ate them.

"You're going to love the castle," he said as he stirred all the ingredients together. "I'd just stay away from the Prince and King, if you can help it."

I was surprised by his warning. I knew my father was known for being cruel to servants, but I hadn't realized I had a reputation, too. "What's wrong with the Prince?"

He stopped stirring while he thought, then continued when he spoke. "He's not mean, per say, nothing like his father. He's very standoffish and doesn't interact with others very often. It's easy to take it the wrong way and get your feelings hurt."

"Not to mention he's the King's puppy," Gai added from across the room.

I looked over at Gai, who was pointing to ingredients for Karin to add to their bowl. He didn't seem to mean any harm by his statement, but it still stung. "His puppy?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Gai said. "He follows the King around and does anything he says. I'm sure he's going to turn out just like him when he's King."

"We don't know that," Kakashi said slowly, as if he didn't believe it himself. "Prince Haruno could just be following along the save his own ass. I'm sure the King can be feisty to him, too, just like the Council Members."

I wanted to tell Kakashi he was wrong, but he wasn't. Any servant coming into the Council Room had the chance of hearing discussions between the King and Privy Council, which the King made sure to always have the final say in. No wonder the servants thought he was cruel; they saw him at his worse.

"All set," Kakashi said, bringing me back to the present. "We just stick this in a pan-" he poured his batter into a silver pan- "and pop it in the oven." Karin and Gai were finished at the same time and stuck their cake in the same oven as Kakashi. "And now we wait."

"How long?" I asked.

"Until it's done." The way he grinned, he must have known he wasn't being helpful.

"Not too long," Karin said. "Our cake has to be finished for Prince Haruno's lunch. Once they're done baking, we'll frost them both and take them up."

Prince Haruno's lunch, which happened right at noon. I walked over to the only window in the kitchen and saw the sun was nearly at its peak. If I stayed for the cakes to be finished, I'd be late to my own lunch. The cake would make it there before me.

"I have to go," I said, a little too hurriedly.

If Kakashi was surprised by my abruptness, he didn't show it. He just smiled and led me out of the kitchen, then asked when he'd see me again. I told him I didn't know before running away. And as my bare feet slammed against the stone floor, I knew I'd need to find a pair of women's shoes.

Because I was definitely going to see Kakashi, Gai, and Karin again.

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**Please leave a review letting me know what you think! I'm always open to suggestions and (helpful) criticism. **


	3. Chapter 3

**By the time you see Chapter 4, July will be over and NaNoWriMo will be finished. I am over halfway through this story, and I am crazy excited to share the rest of it with you all!**

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**Chapter 3**

"Prince Haruno," a guard said, approaching my table and bowing. "King Danzo requests your presence in the Throne Room."

"Thank you. You're dismissed," I said, not looking up from the book in my hands.

I was in the library studying. Though I was old enough I didn't need to attend a regular schooling program, I requested time to study in the library to keep my mind sharp. I also loved reading and learning, but I wouldn't tell my father that part. I finished the page I was on before stuffing a piece of paper in the book, ready to go.

The library was on the other side of the castle to the Throne Room, so my knights and I had a long walk before reaching the room. We didn't speak along the way, which had been our usual the past week. I didn't feel like talking, not with all the thoughts swirling in my head since becoming Sakura for a morning, and Sasuke and Naruto respected my silence.

When I opened the Throne Room, I saw my father on his throne, tall and made of dark wood. I remembered the day he got the throne. He heard of an expensive dark wood being shipped from the Mizunokuni Kingdom and immediately requested the entire shipment be made into a throne. We had to request another batch to rebuild the gardening shed that burned down, the very reason for the original shipment.

I dropped to one knee before my father and stood when he motioned for me to do so. "What can I help you with, Your Majesty?" I asked.

"Haruno," my father said, using none of the respect I gave him, "There is another suitor coming to visit. Lady Ino from Kirigakure will be arriving shortly." Kirigakure was the most prominent region of the Mizunokuni Kingdom.

I clenched my jaw. "Shortly" probably meant that day or the next, though he must have known for over a week. He always gave me shorter notice than he received.

"Duke Iniochi's daughter?" I asked. I had heard many things of Lady Ino, mostly her ability to charm men into her bed. It was doubtful she still held her virtue, though she must have tricked someone into confirming it if she was being offered to a Prince.

My father waved his hand, dismissing all guards from the room. They shuffled out into the hallway, leaving the two of us alone. "I understand your...reservations about women, but I would like you to consider Lady Ino."

I gaped at him. He had never directly spoke of my gender, but we both knew I was a woman — though at times I had my doubts. He never pushed for me to confirm an engagement. No one but the two of us could know my — our — secret, and marrying would cause all sorts of problems. For one thing, I could never produce an heir with my wife.

"Do you understand me, Haruno?" My father phrased his statement as a question as a courtesy. I had no choice. "If nothing else, _act_ like you're considering her. We can't send another woman running from the castle the day she arrives. You're a healthy young _man_ and need to act as such."

I was relieved with his clarification. He didn't need me to propose to Lady Ino, just act like I was interested in a woman interested in me. I could do that. "Of course, Your Majesty."

The corners of his mouth tightened, which was a smile by his standards. "Lady Ino will be arriving with her brother and two of her ladies. Once they are settled, I will have a guard sent for you. Perhaps you'll invite her to the Garden for a stroll. Women like flowers."

My anger flared again. He was jabbing at me, like always. Giving me tips on what women like and don't like, as if I wouldn't know for myself. I was just a clueless Prince who never gave women the time of day, so how would I know anything about them?

It stung.

My father called the guards back into the room, meaning I was dismissed.

"I want to be alone," I told Sasuke and Naruto when we exited the Throne Room. They said nothing as they backed-off several yards from me. When I entered my room, slamming my door shut, I heard them sit down against the door, letting me know they weren't going anywhere.

But I was.

-o-o-o-

My hands were shaking again when I tied the corset. This time is wasn't from nerves of dressing like a woman for the first time. This time it was many things: anger over my father's words, anxiety for meeting yet another suitor, and the creeping of Time's hands around my throat, daring me to make a move. Would I take a wife? Would I wait too long and miss my chance for an heir?

I shuffled down the halls quickly. I wanted away from my responsibilities, away from Prince Haruno. I suspected the only way to achieve that was for Sakura to find Kakashi. If he wasn't in the kitchen, I didn't know what I'd do.

Just before I reached the kitchen door, it flew open and Kakashi, Gai, and Karin stepped out, laughing. They all froze when they saw me. I offered a half-hearted smile, suddenly feeling shy. What if Kakashi didn't want to see me so suddenly? He expressed interest in seeing me again the week before, but he could have changed his mind.

"Sakura, how are you?" Kakashi said, smiling wide. My doubts slipped away. "We were just about to head to town for baking supplies."

"To town?" I had never been outside the castle before. I could only look out at the small towns dotting the horizon, imagining what they would be like. Did the servants get to go so freely?

Karin shoved a piece of paper in Kakashi's hands, their shopping list. "You two go," she said. "I'm sure Sakura would love to visit the town. You aren't from this region, right? I remember you said you traveled here to be a lady-in-waiting."

"Right," I said slowly, trying to remember what I told them before. I needed to keep my stories straight unless I wanted to get caught.

Kakashi was happy to take me into town. He told Gai and Karin goodbye, and the two went back into the kitchen. Kakashi grabbed the crook of my arm and started leading me away from the kitchens. I felt warm where he touched me.

"I need to go to my chambers for a cloak," he told me once we arrived in one of the main hallways of the castles. "Would you like to meet me here once you fetch yours?"

I nodded, and he smiled at me again before walking away. I waited until he was out of site before running towards the Princess's chambers. I needed to beat him back to the spot. If he arrived first and decided to find me, I wouldn't be where I should be. Though I didn't know where that was. Many ladies-in-waiting stayed with their Ladies, but some stayed in separate portions of the castle. I'd have to figure that out, another time.

I quietly slipped into the Princess's chambers then to my own, the Prince's. I frantically looked around my room, trying to think of something to wear. If I didn't wear a cloak at all it would be suspicious, but so would wearing one of the Prince's. I would take money with me to buy a new one and tell him I ruined mine on the journey to the castle, I decided. I stuffed a handful of gold coins in one of the pockets of my dress, slipped out of the chambers, then raced back to the main hallway.

Kakashi came moments after me, and I tried to calm my racing heart. I would have been embarrassed if he knew I was running. He didn't seem to notice and asked if I was ready.

My heart only seemed to beat faster as we walked to the castle gates. If I ever left the walls of the castle, it was only to the Gardens in the back. I had never been out the front. I knew guards would be posted, but I had no idea if I could slip through. Did I need paperwork showing my clearances to leave? Would I need papers to get back in? Had any of them seen Prince Haruno up close and could recognize me?

There were only two guards on the ground — the rest were on the castle walls — and Kakashi smiled and waved at them. They waved back before turning and chatting with each other again. And just like that we were through.

"Sakon and Unkon. They always work as guards during the day," Kakashi explained. "I see them every time I go into town."

"How often do you go?"

"Most supplies get delivered weekly, but if we run out we have to go into town. Usually every two or three weeks I get to go a day. Today we ran out of some baking supplies because of the ruined cakes."

I knew he meant the cake he dropped when he ran into me and the one Karin had burned the week before. She may have even burned more since then. I didn't know for sure, but I wasn't going to ask, either. It didn't matter how many cakes she burned, and I didn't want to make it seem like I cared.

"Don't you have a cloak?" he asked.

"Mine was ruined on my journey to the castle." I was happy he asked, not just because I had planned the story already. "I brought gold with me to buy a new one."

"Then we'll get you a cloak first. It'll get chilly as the afternoon wares on. It might even rain soon, from the looks of those clouds."

I looked up at the sky and saw the gray clouds in the distance. I hadn't paid much attention to the weather — why would I if I never went outside? — but even I could tell they didn't look good. We had plenty of time, he reassured me. I doubted it but didn't say so.

When we got to the town, I couldn't hold back a gasp. One moment we were walking along a field and the next we were in the heart of the town. Most of the buildings were falling apart and the cobblestone roads were cracked, but that only added to the charm for me. I knew that anything in this town was built by the hard work of the people, not just handed to them like the beautiful castle I lived in was handed to me.

People were whizzing around me, no order to how they moved. Men stood in the doorways of their shops, shouting the day's deals. Women walked around with large baskets full of goodies, and people grabbed from all directions to buy from them. I didn't know how she managed to collect all the money in the craziness, because surely someone could slip a hand in her basket without her noticing?

And the children. Oh, the children. They laughed and squealed, weaving around people and buildings, playing some tagging game. The girls and boys played together, unlike how I was raised.

"It's wonderful," I told Kakashi.

"You haven't even went inside any shops yet," he said, laughing at me. I knew he wasn't laughing _at_ me, so I laughed with him. "Let's get that cloak."

He seemed to be an expert in the town. And a celebrity, too. Many people shouted at him and waved, happy to see him. He briefly chatted with everyone, asking how their families were. I found myself wishing I knew someone so intimately. The closest people to me were Sasuke and Naruto, and I barely knew anything about them.

Kakashi pulled me into a shop stuffed with women's clothing. Tables were spread all over the shop with stacks of dresses, linen shirts, corsets, and stalkings. One entire while was filled with shoes of all kinds, some flat and others with heels. My bare feet burned against the dirt floor, screaming at me to buy a pair.

"How about this one?"

While I was gawking at the store, Kakashi had already found a cloak. He held it out to me, and I tried not to cry when I touched it. The cloak was made of a thick material, sure to keep me warm. It was a deep blue color. It was a shade I'd worn a dozen times, but this cloak was all feminine. An intricate pattern was stitched with white thread, adding a brightness that wouldn't be there otherwise. I also noticed several lines of black stitches that brought the dress in certain places to hug around my shoulders and waist.

"Is it too much?" he asked. I saw his eyes sweep over my dress. He probably thought I was a plain girl. "I can find one with less detailing or—"

"It's perfect!" I grabbed it from him and hugged it to my chest. "It's perfect, really."

He smiled at me again. I realized I was becoming addicted to his smile. I never wanted him to stop smiling. "I want to try it on," I told him.

He took the coat back and stretched it out so I could slip inside. I turned my back and reached to put my first arm through its sleeve, and I felt his hand between my shoulder blades. I shivered, surprised at the warm feeling that spread through me.

"Your corset is all twisted," he told me.

Without asking permission, he dropped the cloak and his long fingers started untying my corset. My cheeks heated up until I thought they would start a fire. When he reached the bottom, my hands flew to my chest to catch the corset before it slipped off my arms. He chuckled, and his breath tickled the back of my neck.

"If you can't tie your own corset, how will you help your Lady with hers?" he asked. His voice sounded hoarse. I didn't know if it was intentional.

I didn't trust my voice, so I stayed quiet as he began lacing my corset back together. He seemed to lace slower than he unlaced, and I started to feel dizzy. I was thinking about how he knew to lace a corset and how he unlaced it so _fast_. And could he do it faster?

"All done," he said. He stepped back, and I felt the tension lesson around me. I let out a shaky breath.

"You need another dress. Your Lady will laugh at you if she sees you in a servant's dress. New shoes, too."

I waited until my breathing calmed — as much as it could be calmed — before following him around the store. He kept his distance the rest of the trip, even during the carriage ride he purchased to get back to the castle with my purchases and his sacks of baking ingredients.

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**Please leave a review! If I ever get a lot of reviews on a chapter, I'll post the next one earlier!**


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